Zoning changes OK’d for church, convenience store

The Charlotte Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved variances that pave the way for separate properties to be used as a convenience store and church.
On Tuesday, the board approved two variances for property owned by Kidane Haile at 4541 Margaret Wallace Road near the intersection with Idlewild Road. The site is slated to become a convenience store without a gasoline station.
The variances for the store are contingent on the Charlotte City Council changing the zoning from B-1, or neighborhood business, to NS, or neighborhood services district.
The lot’s size makes the property undevelopable unless the variances are granted, city zoning coordinator Barry Mosley said during the meeting.
The board granted a 10-foot variance to allow a building to be constructed on the rear property line and a 5-foot variance to allow vehicle parking along the rear property line partly because of space needed for vehicle maneuvering, Mosley said. The site is part of a commercial area that is zoned entirely NS.
The board also approved two variances for a property owned by Mary Brown at 1211 Parkwood Ave., which is zoned R-5, or residential. Lot size also created a zoning compliance issue on the property, which once was the location of a hair salon.
The structure will house the Greater Pleasant Valley Baptist Church once construction of a parking area is complete, according to church trustee Johnnie Truesdale.
The building nearly touches a neighboring structure that is vacant, according to zoning staff. One of the variances allows a new use of the structure as a church. The structure sits within a required 5-foot buffer that nearly touches the vacant building. A second variance allows a driveway and parking lot to encroach 3 feet into a required 7.5-foot buffer on the opposite side of the structure, which neighbors a residence.
The variances allow for the reuse of the structure, which would need to be torn down if no variances were granted and the property were to be developed, zoning administrator Katrina Young said.
A religious institution with up to 750 seats is acceptable under R-5 zoning. A school or a residence are the only other two acceptable uses under current zoning, according to zoning officials. Tara Ramsey can be reached at tara.ramsey@mecktimes.com.